Federal cash will mean a more reliable, accessible TTC
Ottawa’s announcement includes $500 million to upgrade signals, replace tracks, renew the fleet, install Presto and make stations more accessible.
Thestar.com
Aug. 23, 2016
By Betsy Powell
A $500 million federal windfall for Toronto transit will make the TTC more reliable and accessible for disabled riders, says Mayor John Tory.
Transit advocates, however, say the Trudeau government's welcome foray into TTC funding comes as Tory himself is threatening service with demands for a budget cut.
“Today is all about moving to get things done. We’re ending decades of inaction and debate and finger-pointing back and forth,” Tory said at St. Clair West subway station, flanked by more than a dozen provincial and federal politicians.
Over the next two years, Toronto will embark on an “ambitious schedule of repair, renewal and enhancement and expansion,” with a total of $840 million in federal funding - with matching city dollars, he said.
“The shortfall is a different issue,” Tory said. The TTC estimates it is facing a $190 million funding gap next year. That doesn’t include the 2.6-per-cent cut Tory and council have proposed for all city agencies and programs, including the TTC.
Jessica Bell, executive director of the transit advocacy group TTC Riders, said that while the federal funding is “a good, sensible move,” there is still a $2.3-billion capital backlog and badly needed revenue just to keep service levels where they are now.
“The reality is, John Tory’s decision to cut the TTC budget is creating a budget crisis.”
Sheila Block, a senior economist with the Ontario office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, agreed the funding announcement is great news for Toronto.
“It has been a long time since the federal government could be relied upon as a partner for this kind of endeavour, and it is very heartening to see that the money is targeted to the state of good repair, which is very necessary,” she wrote in email.
“However, this funding won't relieve the city's operating budget woes because it is dedicated to capital spending. The bottom line: the TTC is facing the same operating pressures that it faced before this announcement, which is the equivalent of an 11 per cent cut in its operating budget.”
Tory, however, said Tuesday he remains optimistic TTC management can cut costs without affecting vital service.
“I believe in my heart in a big $1.7-billion organization there are always better ways to do things, and they’re hard at work right now trying to find what we’ve asked them to find.”
Tory added that many overlook the $135 million his administration has spent restoring TTC services since he took office.
The projects receiving federal funding include upgrading the signal system, replacing tracks, renewing the fleet of streetcars, buses and subways, transitioning to Presto and making subway stations accessible for disabled riders.
The Toronto Region Board of Trade applauded the announcement, noting that much of the city’s infrastructure was built more than 50 years ago.
“This investment is critical to maintaining our enviable quality of life and foundational to ensuring we are able to support our economy and population,” Jan De Silva, the board of trade’s president and CEO, said in a press release.
Transit funding
Ottawa is divvying out $1.49 billion in transit funding among cities in Ontario for track upgrades, new buses, and station improvements and accessibility upgrades. The details:
- First $688 million, to be matched by municipalities, can be applied to projects retroactively to April 1.
- Toronto gets the lion’s share, at $500 million.
- The city of Ottawa will get $156 million.
- Waterloo, Barrie and Sudbury will share $30.6 million.
